Aircraft

Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway is hoping to finalise an interim capacity solution over the coming weeks to bridge the gap until the airline's first Boeing 787s arrive.

The UK long-haul carrier has previously outlined plans to purchase or lease up to 12 aircraft, which will tide it over until delivery of its 15 787-9s. Types under consideration, for introduction from 2011, include the Airbus A330, A340, Boeing 777 and 747-8.

Speaking to ATI in Los Angeles, Ridgway said the 787 delay was "not a problem in the short-term", but Virgin did not want to have five years without growth.

© Virgin Atlantic

"We're in an evaluation stage. We're still talking to Boeing, trying to finalise what the impact of the 787 delay is going to be. I hope we will draw that together as we go into the spring, but it will be a few weeks yet," says Ridgway.

He adds that Virgin is in "relatively good shape" because it has deferred aircraft deliveries, after anticipating that the climate was going to get tougher.

"There's no doubt we called it right in terms of not having lots of aircraft arriving at a time you wouldn't want them," he says. Virgin Atlantic also has six Airbus A380s on order.